Far Longer Than Forever
by The Fayt In Purple
Summary: The legend of Swan Lake is more than just a tale, and history is about to repeat itself...a DG fic.
1. Prologue

Two children walked in a wood. It was a beautiful spring afternoon, the sort where the air is filled with the scent of blossoms, and sparkles in the sunlight. The light flashed off their hair, his a silver blonde, hers a striking orange-red that almost resembled fire.

They were playing an old game- the what if game. It was a favorite of theirs.

"What if," began the girl, "you were a dragon? Would you eat me?"

"No," laughed the boy, "you're my best friend. I would never eat you."

The girl just smiled.

"What if," asked the boy, "you were a princess, and I was a dragon? Would you order some knight or prince to kill me?"

"No," said the girl. "I'd tell him to leave us alone, and if he didn't listen, I'd let you eat him!"

They both laughed.

"Then I'll be one of those dragons that carries off princesses, and I'll steal you away, and put you in a tower, and we'll live in a castle, and play together all day!" proclaimed the boy, striking a determined pose.

The girl clapped her hands with joy. "And we'll fill all the rooms with books, and read every story there is!" she cried.

"And I'll eat any knight or prince who tried to rescue you!" finished the boy with a laugh.

"And we'll be together forever?" She looked at the boy questioningly.

He put an arm around her shoulder. "Longer," he answered with a smile.

Well, I know I have another fic going, and it's not really going anywhere to be honest, but part of that is because I have so many fic ideas that, if I try to concentrate on one, and not write the others, they all start to get kinda jumbled. Like if I won't write it, parts of the plot will try to find it's way into my other story. So here we are, another Draco/Ginny fic. Don't you feel lucky? -

**You all know the drill- Read and Review, or flame if you are so inspired (please, no senseless flames- I find them annoying, and I've had quite enough of people who think that telling me they think my characters are OC, thank you very much).**

**Hope you liked it and will come back!**


	2. Myths, Legends, and Partners

Disclaimer: I realized I forgot this before. Consider this as counting for the whole story. **I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. **And what's more, I wouldn't want to. Personally, I'd rather have Draco.

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**Chapter 1: Myths, Legends, and Partners**

"Welcome, class, to the first ever Magical and Muggle Myths class at Hogwarts!" announced Professor Baron, standing at the front of the room.

Dumbledore, after several years of working and negotiating with the Ministry, had finally been granted leave to introduce a new set of courses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These courses, in response to the growing interaction between the muggle and wizarding worlds, followed along the lines of a traditional muggle curriculum, and consisted mostly of science and English classes, as well as more in depth muggle studies and relations courses. Every student was required to take at least on of these courses every year, and older students were not exempt.

While many of the students in year 5 and above had objected to this extra load when they had their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts to think of, Ginny had jumped at the chance. This course in particular, which studied common myths and legends and compared the muggle versions to their magical counterparts, had caught her eye; she had been one of the first to sign up for it.

New classes, especially of this variety, had required new teachers to go with them, and the man before the class was one of them. He was probably the youngest professor in the school, in his late twenties; his young age coupled with his handsome face, deep auburn hair, and mysterious black eyes had already made him a target of a number the older girls. He was currently outlining the syllabus, and Ginny, as she listened, had to wonder how many other girls were actually paying any attention.

"This course will look at myths and legends from all times and cultures, but many will be from areas of Europe. They will all deal, in some way, with magic. We will analyze them, compare the muggle versions with the magical ones, and attempt to sort the fact from the fiction. We will trace changes in the tales through the ages, and try to get to the bottom of the story- our goal fro each legend or myth will be to answer the question 'did it really happen?'

"Instead of a traditional final in the sense you are used to, the class will cumulate with a final project. You will be assigned a partner, and a legend, and be required to do your own comparison of at least three different versions, at least one from each world. You will do everything we do in this class, and then go a little deeper; if there are any spells mentioned, for instance, you will be expected to find if is really exists, and then find a way to demonstrate it or give very specific details on it within the report. You will then conclude your report with your opinion of whether your tale is true or not."

There were murmurs at this. Even the girls who had been paying more attention to the speaker than his words had snapped out of their dreamy stares at the mention of so much work. None of the students had ever had to do a report of this sort, and even the muggle-born students seemed worried about the idea.

"Don't panic," laughed their teacher. "We have plenty of time for me to teach you what exactly I want from you, and it's not as hard as it sounds, trust me. And I believe it is unfair to you to throw a huge assignment at you, and expect you to work with someone you barely know; I intend to assign your partners now, and give you the chance to learn to work together on smaller, less demanding assignments first."

He conjured a top hat, took a roll of parchment with a list of the class on it, and dropped the paper into the hat. After swirling his wand over the top, he levitated out slips of parchment with names scrawled on them two at a time, and began to call out the groups.

Ginny waited anxiously in her seat in the back. This course had been a popular one, and older students has been given preference, as they would have fewer chance to take it. This should have meant that she had friends in the class, but she recognized only a few of the people in the room, and most of those were not really friends. No one from her year in her house was present, and the other Gryffindors were ones she knew more by site than anything else. She did see Dean, but they hadn't really been on speaking terms since they'd broken up; he hadn't taken it very well. She wished that Luna had decided to take the course with her, but her "loony" friends had opted for a science course instead. The chances of her actually knowing her partner were slim.

"Ginnevra Wesley," said the Professor; their were a few giggles over her name, "you will be working with…Draconis Malfoy." He went on calling out pairs as though oblivious to the whispers that his words had caused, as Ginny sat at her desk, staring at him like he was mad. Had he just said what she thought he had?

"Now," said Professor Baron, finishing, "we'll start formal lessons tomorrow. You can use the rest of this lesson to get together with your partner and get acquainted, should it be necessary; I daresay that if it isn't, you'll want to talk anyhow." He smiled at what he imagined was a generous gesture on his part.

As the students began to move about the room, getting into their pairs, Ginny scanned the room for her pale partner. To her surprise, he was only a few desks away, slightly in front of where she sat; she watched as he gathered up his things and headed towards her.

He dumped his stuff on the table, next to her books, and dropped into the chair beside her with a sound almost like a sigh. There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to cut the two off from the rest of the class and their chatter, as Draco and Ginny eyed each other warily and a little uncertainly.

"Well," sneered Draco at last, "this should be…interesting."

"It'll be easier to work with you if you don't sneer at me all the time," said Ginny mildly. "Or is your face just stuck like that now?"

Draco looked at her in surprise, and blinked. It had been a long time since anyone had talked to him like that; he hadn't expected her to make a retort, but to clam up, either with annoyance or rage, the way people, especially Gryffindors, usually did.

Ginny noted his change in expression with satisfaction. "That's better," she said, with the smallest of smiles.

**

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Ha! Ginny isn't going to let him get the best of HER. - I don't like wimpy versions of Ginny, personally.**

**Thanks to the people who've reviewed so far! I'm so glad that people thought it sounded interesting enough to bother reading. This happy dance is dedicated to you! _dances around_**

**Kyree24- I'm glad you liked it. It sounded childish because it was meant to- it was the effect I was trying to go for, so the fact you found it that way is a compliment. I hope you're right about the rest of the fic. As my first reviewer for this story, and for being so nice as to read my other fic as well, you get a _HUG_! **

**XxkraziefaerieXx- good to hear, but you almost sound like you think that's it. Don't leave us yet, we're just getting started!**

**Harry Sirius Potter- you've hit the nail on the head- it was indeed meant to be childish and innocent. The writing style is going to grow up a bit now, to match the fact the characters are older than they were in the prologue.**

**Helldarkangel1- Yes! You got the reference. I love The Swan Princess, and it was the love song Far Longer Than Forever that inspired this fic, in part. You, my fellow fan, get a cookie. **


	3. Moonlight Memories

**Ok, so this is probably going to be it for a while. I swear to try to update both this story, and IHD, but it's my senior year, people- the home stretch, because my schedule got totally messed up by my councilor last year, I have to take a really heavy load this year, as well as cheerleading, and hopefully a job ( I need one, but they seem to be few and far between here if you weren't born here, and happen to know the owners/supervisors). This is for Lania3- you're a great writer! Your latest chapter was awesome!**

**Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: Moonlight Memories**

That night, Ginny lay awake, thinking, until long after her roommates were sleeping deeply. Her mind spun with memories of afternoons spent dancing in sunbeams, and nights singing to the stars. And of the little blonde boy who had shared it all with her, until the day he had simply not come.

Quietly, Ginny got out of her bed and went to her trunk at its foot. Placing her hand on the left side, she whispered "**_fosgail_**." _Open. _Part of the wood disappeared, revealing a hallow; inside lay her treasures.

Pulling out a small, beautifully carved box, she took a moment to trace the swan on its lid before opening it. Lifting the compartmented tray that contained a few trinkets, she pulled out one of the things she treasured most: a piece of paper that lay beneath the tray. It had been there, hidden and safe, for years. Putting the box back together and away, she whispered "**_dùin_**"-_shut_- and once again her trunk was whole.

She did not unfold the paper until she reached the window seat; only once she was in the pool of moonlight that streamed through the window did she carefully open it.

On the paper was a picture, obviously drawn by a child, but one with clear talent. It showed a lake, surrounded by a forest; on the water, a girl danced, shedding feathers as she spun. By the shore, a swan glided. It was just a black and white sketch, but the figures seemed almost to move, as did the shadows.

_I wonder if he still draws?_ Ginny thought as she gazed up at the moon and listened to the music that floated on the wind…

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In his room in the dungeons, Draco sat on the wide sill of the window above his bed, watching the ground of the school as it lay bathed in moonlight. The window was at ground level- Draco had the highest room in the Slytherin house- so he couldn't see much of the sky, but he could see some of the grounds and the forest.

Every night, since he had arrived at Hogwarts, he had sat in this window, his ears straining to hear the music he knew the wind carried, his eyes straining to see the creatures that would dance in the moonbeams, his heart yearning for what had been.

More often than not, Draco would fall asleep in his window, his watching and listening and yearning blending with his dreams. The faint shapes he only half imagined that danced among the flowers becoming a single figure gowned in white, swan feathers tangled in her flaming hair. Every night, and every time he saw her in the halls, his heart would ache with remorse and yearning to return to what had been. For one cannot dance with the Faeries and not long to dance again.

But as a Malfoy, Draco was expected to be his father's son. His contact with the Fey was to be limited to those of the Dark Sidhe- dancing, especially with the Fey of the Light, was forbidden to Draco. His father had been furious, the day he had learned where his young son ran off to every day; he hadn't even ever found out about the nights that Draco had snuck out. Lucius had forbade his son to ever go to the Fay again, and the little boy had found himself followed everywhere by house elves after that day.

Draco wondered for the thousandth time what his father would have done, had he known that his son's companion during his time with the Faeries had been the youngest Weasely. Draco still remembered his own shock, that day in Florish and Blotts, when his _Eala_- his swan- had taken Potter's defense, and Draco's fondest dream had come crashing down. Before that moment, he'd always had hope that he would meet his friend again, the only true friend he'd ever had.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the next memories, and pressed his forehead against the coolness of the pane of glass. But the memories came anyway. In his mind he watched once more as his father slipped the diary into her cauldron- and he, angry and jealous that the great Potter had taken yet another thing from him, had pretended not to notice. He had known, in his heart, that the diary would cause Ginny pain. When he'd connected the dots at last, learned exactly what he had sentenced her to that day, when he hadn't warned her, and on all the other days he'd had chances to, he'd been horrified. His only friend, and he'd done nothing as she's nearly died. He'd had so many chances to save her, and he had used them to say mean thing, and then laughed as she ran off with tears in her eyes. And told the part of him that said to run after her, hug her, and say he hadn't meant it, to shut up.

Potter had saved her, in the end. 'And you didn't even try," said a voice in his head. Once, he had argued with the voice, tried to defend his actions-'or lack thereof,' said the voice snidely- but his arguments had sounded lame and half-hearted even in his mind.

He fell asleep, and dreamed of dancing beneath the stars, the silvery light of the moon washing the color out of everything but the hair of the girl twirling in his arms…

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Ginny blinked slowly awake in the light of dawn; she had fallen asleep in the window. She tried to snatch back her dream, and the feeling of peace it had contained. She'd been dancing under the night sky, held by a by who had seemed to almost be one with the pale light that shone down on them.

It wasn't until she reached the dining hall that she recognized the silver boy in her dream. His eyes, silver as the light of the stars, looked up from his breakfast and met hers as she walked through the doorway.

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**You may have noticed that things seem to have taken a bit of a different turn- they have! If you read my bio, you know it's all the Faeries fault- they demanded to be added to this story. The language used here is Gaelic. There will be much more of that sort of thing to come- assuming I 1) ever find the time to write again this year, and 2)live through the year!**

**Thanks to the following!**

**Helldarkangel1- glad you liked my Ginny. I totally agree about girls- we should never be wimpy! - hope you'll like the new, mystical Ginny as well.**

**Kyree24- glad you liked the last chapter more than the first! Thanks a lot- compliments mean a lot from a writer like you. Check out my bio- I wrote a little thing about you.**

**Alexandria J. Malfoy- I'm so glad everyone agrees with me about Ginny. She just wasn't made to curl up in a corner and wait to be saved by Harry.**

**Amelie- wow, a fan. 0.o who knew. I plan to keep the rating on this one down, as it's meant to be a fairytale (even before the Faeries took over). I'm pleased that your looking forward to it- hope you liked his chapter.**

**Mar sin leibh an dràsda! (Ta ta for now!)**


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